Gigapxl project

Physicist Graham Flint took a different approach with the Gigapxl project. He has designed and built a camera from parts of old spy planes and nuclear rectors. The result? A camera that takes a 4 gigapixel image and fills an entire DVD! No stitching required,but they still take several images which they later merge to create the clearest possible image. The gigapxl technology pages explains how they built the camera and the choices they faced while designing the camera.

Some lucky people my be able to get their hands on the camera themselves:

When he completes his photographic tour of America later this year, Flint would love to take high-resolution images of hundreds of endangered archaeological sites. He said he is in preliminary talks with organizations like Unesco, which wants a detailed record of threatened archaeological sites like Rome or Angkor Watt, which are steadily disappearing.

Flint said he's unlikely to undertake the project himself, but will probably help design cameras and train crews.

"I'd love to do that," he said. "That would be a worthwhile project for the conclusion of my career."